Mysterious Galaxy 20th Birthday Bash Celebration in San Diego

On Saturday, May 8, 1993, a new store opened in Clairemont Square, dedicated to the staff’s passion for books of “Martians, Murder, Magic and Mayhem.” Today, twenty years later, that passion continues. We invite you to join us on Saturday, May 11, for our annual all-day celebration, featuring some fantastic spotlight authors, special bargains, and, of course, cake!

Previously announced Legacy Author Janice Steinberg will be with us in spirit, but not in person, due to an unexpected conflict.

Our 3:30 PM Author Spotlight will be on Eoin Coifer, author of The Reluctant Assassin. The signing with Eoin Colfer will be a numbered event. Numbers for the signing line are available with purchase of The Reluctant Assassin from Mysterious Galaxy, on sale beginning Tuesday, May 7th, at 10AM.

If you are planning to attend the event, please do not place your order through the web site as all such orders are handled after the event. Instead, please call the store and purchase the book over the phone on or after the on-sale date.

We conclude our gala celebration with the best-selling author of the Artemis Fowl series, as well as adult novels Plugged, Screwed, and And Another Thing… and for Whovians, Doctor Who: A Big Hand for the Doctor
ebook, Eoin Colfer. Publishers Weekly enthusiastically noted: “Readers
mourning the end of the Artemis Fowl series can take heart: this first
book in the time-bending W.A.R.P. series is an all-out blast. And its
stars are every bit as dynamic as Artemis and Holly. Colfer blends
grisly moments of horror, sharply funny dialogue, science fiction
spectacle, and characters with depth to create a story that strikes the
ideal balance between escapist fun and thoughtful commentary on the ways
history, both personal and global, can shape a person.” Numbers for the
signing line are free with the purchase of The Reluctant Assassin from Mysterious Galaxy, available May 7th.

In To Brie or Not To Brie,
the fifth book in Avery Aames’ Cheese Shop Mystery Series, Charlotte
Bessette is planning her best friend’s wedding. But when a body turns up
in the freezer, it looks like the blueberry brie ice cream Charlotte
created isn’t the only thing on ice.

The past comes back to
haunt psychologist Liz Cooper in a bitter clash with a former rival and a
cryptic homicide clue only occult professor Nick Garfield can decipher
in Hex on the Ex, the third installment in Rochelle Staab’s Mind For Murder Mysteries. Volume two, Bruja Brouhaha, recently won the 2013 Watson Award for best sidekick!

Jeffrey J. Mariotte signsSeason of the Wolf / Jeff Mariotte signsStar Trek: The Original Series: The Folded World

San Diego Comic-Con
International Special Guest Jeffrey J. Mariotte, AKA Scribe Award winner
Jeff Mariotte, has two recent works, an original eco-thriller and an
original novel in the classic Star Trek universe. Patrick’s review
notes, “Season of the Wolf is a pulse-pounding supernatural
thriller with a message, and a whole lot of carnage … so release your
inner Wolfen, learn a thing or two about the world you live in, and pray
you don’t become prey.” The Folded World gives Trek fans a
chance to return to the original series world just in time for the May
17 release of the rebooted universe film franchise.

Poet and prose author Marsheila Rockwell rounds out our AZ author collective with two collection of her short works. Bridges of Longing and Other Strange Passageways is a SF/F/H collection of twelve stories and fourteen poems from the multiple-award nominee. Tales of Sand and Sorcery
encompasses the collected stories of Shaala, a cursed sultan’s daughter
trained in the art of martial dance, and her companion, Kij, a
divinely-appointed Judge with a beastly nature.

Steph Cha’s Follow Her Home
is one of Mysterious Galaxy’s Fantastic Firsts mystery selections.
Young Korean-American LA resident Juniper Song is a Philip Marlowe
enthusiast who accepts her friend’s request to look into the possibility
his father is having an affair. Juniper’s modern sensibility combined
with the traditional noir elements make this a debut to watch from the
“Avid reader, sometime lawyer, compulsive Yelper, mother to a stubborn
basset.”

Jenny Milchman’s note on her website about Cover of Snow:
“This novel began life when one question grabbed me by the throat. What
would make a good man do a very bad thing? It’s amazing how many
wrinkles that question led to.” Read her extended book tour/car trip blog
chronicling her cross-country tour that began on February 1!! We hope
Jenny will be home by December’s Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day,
which she founded.

Celebrate the 15th
anniversary of the cult bowling alley murder mystery by the founders of
specialty small press UglyTown, Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender, with By the Balls: The Complete Edition. The short, hard-boiled novel has been repackaged with two new short stories by the duo.

Jill is interested in
“that fine line between fiction and reality and between comedy and
tragedy — and pushing the line as much as possible. In this novel, I was
also interested in pushing the line between life and death in hopes of
finding that split moment when the reader is aware of both places.” Life After Life is a #1IndieNext pick for April, 2013.

Debut author Helene Wecker’s supernatural love story, The Golem and the Jinni,
grew out of her shorter writings exploring multiple generations of her
family heritage, both Jewish and Arab-American. Her tale of a Polish
golem and a Syrian jinni meeting as paranormal immigrants in
turn-of-the-century New York is sure to please fans of works that blend
fantastic and historical fiction.

Multiple-award-winning author John Scalzi’s The Human Division
was first released electronically in Dickens’ serial fashion starting
in January, and remains available on our website in that format. MGSD
has a limited quantity of pre-publication copies available of the print
edition of this “hectically paced and philosophical continuation of the Old Man’s War series -- an invigorating and morally complex interstellar thriller with heart.” (See Terry Hertzler’s guest review here.)

Authors David Brin (Existence), Alan Russell (Burning Man) and Vernor Vinge (The Children of the Sky) were all spotlighted authors on our opening day. Authors Nancy Holder (Shards & Ashes) and Taffy Cannon (San Diego Noir) have been a significant part of many birthday celebrations, while Todd McCaffrey (Sky Dragons)
joins the Birthday Bash for the first time! Without their participation
and support back in 1993, we would not be celebrating in 2013. In
recognition of their contributions, we will break out our cake!

We conclude our gala celebration with the best-selling author of the Artemis Fowl series, as well as adult novels Plugged, Screwed, and And Another Thing… and for Whovians, Doctor Who: A Big Hand for the Doctor
ebook, Eoin Colfer. Publishers Weekly enthusiastically noted: “Readers
mourning the end of the Artemis Fowl series can take heart: this first
book in the time-bending W.A.R.P. series is an all-out blast. And its
stars are every bit as dynamic as Artemis and Holly. Colfer blends
grisly moments of horror, sharply funny dialogue, science fiction
spectacle, and characters with depth to create a story that strikes the
ideal balance between escapist fun and thoughtful commentary on the ways
history, both personal and global, can shape a person.” Numbers for the
signing line are free with the purchase of The Reluctant Assassin from Mysterious Galaxy, available May 7th.